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GEDCOM Diff

Drop in two GEDCOM (.ged) exports of the same family tree — say, one from before a relative sent you updates and one from after — and see exactly which people and families were added, removed, or changed. Every genealogy program and site (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, Gramps) exports this same standard format. Runs entirely in your browser.

Drop a .ged file here, or click to choose

Drop a .ged file here, or click to choose

How do I get a GEDCOM file to compare?

Almost every genealogy program and site (Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, Gramps, RootsMagic, Family Historian) has an "export" or "download tree" option that produces a .ged file. Export your tree at two different points in time (e.g. before and after a relative sends you updates, or before and after your own research session) and compare the two files here.

Why not just use my genealogy software's built-in compare feature?

Some desktop programs (RootsMagic, Family Historian) do have a compare feature, but it only works within that one program, usually on Windows, and often requires both trees to be imported into it first. This tool works in any browser, on any device, with no install, for GEDCOM files from any source.

What if a person's ID number changed between the two files?

Individuals are matched by their GEDCOM ID first. If an ID only appears in one file, this tool also tries matching by name plus birth year, so a person who was renumbered in a re-export (rather than genuinely added or removed) is still recognized as the same person and reported as an ID change, not a false add/remove.

Does this tool upload my family tree anywhere?

No. Both files are parsed entirely in your browser — your family data is never uploaded, logged, or sent to a server.

Need this in a script instead of a browser?

The same diff logic is also a small dependency-free CLI/library: npx github:diwaspoudell/gedcom-diff — see github.com/diwaspoudell/gedcom-diff.